The Pain of Difference
by Writer of Destiny
Summary: Syrus just moved into a small town when he rescues an wounded vampire. With both males having strong walls built up and neither willing to crack first & with both needing help it's a matter of time between acceptance by all & death for one. Shounenai.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

Rain poured down heavily on the darkened town; its soft hissing and the loud thunder seeming to be the only noise to the soaked city. Lightning flashed, lighting up the pitch-black area for a moment, revealing a lone figure running for his life. He was completely drenched, shivering slightly. His usually spiky black hair was sticking to his face, making it even harder to see in the harsh rain.

He could hear a hissing laughter all around him. He glared ahead, gritting his teeth and running faster. He slipped in a rain puddle, skidding down the street and slamming into some metal trashcans. He skinned both his legs and elbows. He groaned, rising to his feet with a wince.

"Careful…" a taunting voice said.

"We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself…"

Panic gripped him at the sound of the voices. He looked around before running off again. The hissing laughter started up again.

"You can't run away…" the first voice said.

"We'll find you…" the second voice replied.

Two glowing red eyes appeared in front of him, making him stop dead in his tracks. He stared at them fearfully for a few moments, then took two steps back. He turned to run in the other direction, but ran into someone much bigger and taller than himself. Lightning flashed, revealing the taller and bigger male's evil grin. He chuckled.

"We told you…" he said

"Nowhere to run…" the other said, stepping closer from behind.

The runner looked at both of them, looking for a way out. Both chasers realized what he was trying to do and laughed.

"Time to die!" they said in unison as they began to attack. A series of punches, kicks, and scratches fell upon the much younger runner. He was able to retaliate only a few times, but ended up paying for his own blows with harsher attacks. By the time the two were finished, the victim was slashed to ribbons, covered in bruises, and had a few cracked ribs along with a broken arm. The victim glared at them both, clinging to life with the utmost determination. The two attackers smirked; the younger one reached down and grasped the beaten one's neck, the claw of his thumb pressing into his throat.

"Have a good night, little brother…" he said, before slashing his throat deeply. The runner gasped, his eyes going wide at the intense pain before blackness consumed his vision.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

A single dirt road was the only trail in an area of crowded woods of oaks, pines, and willows. On the dirt road was a dark blue Pontiac, heading westward. The driver was shorter than most, but had a heart bigger than most. He was a bit pale, but not a sickly tone. His hair was a light blue; his eyes a dull gray. He gave a small sigh of boredom, pushing up a small pair of glasses higher on the bridge of his nose. He reached over and pressed play on his CD player; Staind, 14 Shades of Grey, Reality.

_The lights are on  
But you're not home  
You've drifted off  
Somewhere alone_

The driver sighed; he could relate to this son…sort of. Ever since a year ago, he had been living life rather in a daze than actually noticing what was going on around him. He stayed mostly to himself since then, trying to make it to the end of each day.

_Somewhere that's safe  
No questions here  
A quiet place  
Where you hide from your fears_

A small glare appeared on his face; that's what better be true of this small town. He had been driving eight hours straight from the big city to escape all that. He wasn't going to stay there and have to deal with all those people who 'understood'. His grip tightened on the steering wheel and pushed down on the accelerator; the sooner the better.

_Sometimes when you're out of rope  
The way to climb back up is clear  
The walls you've build around yourself  
I guess they also keep you here_

He wished that were true; that 'the way to climb back up' was clear. Anyone with half a brain knew that it wasn't always like that, in face it was hardly ever like that. In that cause the walls were good and it was best to keep out of the world.

_Are you afraid of what they think?  
Whoever 'they' have meant to be  
Or are you hiding from the scars  
Of your own reality_

That was most certainly not true in his case; he didn't give a damn what people thought and he didn't care who they were either. And he wasn't hiding, he was running away…

_So you sedate  
Drown in vain  
You've got a pill  
For everyday_

Not anymore; he had left all that crap back in the city. He didn't need it. After all, that's what 'left the lights on' and made him 'not home'. He'd probably get a call from his psychiatrist later, but he wouldn't answer.

_A suit and tie  
To mask the truth  
It's ugly head  
Is starting to show through_

His old job hadn't been one to kill for. He had worked at a corner bookstore; the job itself hadn't been bad. He got a paycheck over minimum wage and got employee discounts on most of the books. Even though everyone knew what happened, no one ever could see how he really felt. He 'mask' had worked quite well and the 'ugly head' had never shown through.

_Sometimes when you're out of rope  
The way to climb back up's unclear  
The walls you build around yourself  
I guess they also keep you here_

He sighed; he had run out of 'rope' long ago and his 'way to climb back up' had failed long ago. His 'walls' had also crashed and they never kept him anywhere.

_Are you afraid of what they think?  
Whoever 'they' have meant to be  
Or are you hiding from the scars  
Of your own reality._

He might have not cared what the public thought, but there was some thoughts he did worry about. He frowned; his shoulders slumped. But this is what this town was about, to hide from his past with these people.

_Lost in your feelings  
Your lack of perception  
The things that you do  
To fulfill your addiction_

He was so lost and there was no way he could be found. His lack of perception in all this made him hopeless. His only addiction was gone and there was no way to fulfill it.

_The light at the end  
Of your tunnel is closing  
What is that you're so  
Afraid of exposing?_

He knew his 'light' was fading and the only way to 'open' it didn't seem possible. Opened or closed, if he would expose his true self he'd be shunned more by people than he did himself.

_You'd give it all up  
For what's there for the taking  
Whatever it takes to keep  
Your hands from shaking_

He'd definitely give anything up for the way life used to be. He'd also give everything to end it all. His hands to shake at the thought, but with the meds, that all stopped. It was like he couldn't think for himself.

_The same things you're thinking  
Might make you feel better  
The same things that  
Probably got you here_

That was all true; anyone who knew him would know it. He hated feeling like this and the only to make it end was the thoughts that scared him; that's what made him come here.

_Sometimes when you're out of rope  
The way to climb back up's unclear  
The walls you build around yourself  
I guess they also keep you here_

He pushed on the accelerator harder, making the care speed up. He wasn't going to stay put anymore; he was going to tear down his walls.

_Are you afraid of what they think?  
Whoever 'they' have meant to be  
Or are you hiding from the scars  
Of your own reality_

No more being afraid; no more hiding. He would leave that person in the city!

_Lost in your feelings  
Your lack of perception  
The things that you do  
To fulfill your addiction_

His perception would change and there would be no more addiction!

_The light at the end  
Of your tunnel is closing  
What is it you're so  
Afraid of exposing_

His light would become brighter and he wouldn't be afraid anymore!

_You'd give it all up  
For what's there for the taking  
Whatever it takes to keep  
Your hands from shaking_

He would never give it up and his hands would stop shaking!

The same things you're thinkingMight make you feel betterThe same things that probablyGot you here

He gave a huge sigh of relief when the town came into view. This would be it; he would never think of his past life or self again. Everything would be new here and now. He slowed down as he entered the town. He reached over and opened the glove compartment, pulling out a sheet of paper. It had the directions to his new home on it. It wouldn't be hard to find in this small town.

Looking around, he could see he was in the 'larger' area of the town, where all the shops and restaurants were. So, where were the residential areas? By the lack of cars, he could guess that everything was within walking distance. He sighed; this was definitely going to be different from the city.

"Need some help?" a voice called. He stopped his car, putting it park as he spotted an officer waving at him. He had the complete Hollywood get-up; tan shirt tucked into brown slacks, a light brown hat, a shiny gold badge, and a dark pair of sunglasses. A moment later, the officer was walking to his car. "New in town?" he asked when reaching the car.

"Yeah," the driver replied. The officer looked down at him with a little suspicion.

"How old are you, son?" he asked.

"Twenty," the driver answered. "And I'm four foot, nine in case you wanted to know." The officer said nothing. The driver then handed the officer the paper. "Can you tell me where this house is?" The officer read the directions, then looked at the driver.

"Well, first off…" The officer gave the directions, with as lightly country accent. The driver had to listen really closely to understand him completely. "And that's about it," the officer finished.

"Thank you," he said with a nod. The officer gave him the paper back and he began to put the car in drive.

"What's your name, son?" the officer asked.

"Truesdale," he answered. "Syrus Truesdale." With that, he drove off, following the officer's directions the best he could.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

Syrus gave a heavy sigh as he finally pulled into the driveway of his new home. Unfortunately, the residential areas seemed to be a town of its own, since one had to drive down another long highway, this one behind the town, surrounded by forests on each side to get to and from the 'city' part of town. Probably scare anyone new to this place if they drove on a dark, stormy night.

He shut the car off after putting it in park, then climbed out, putting his keys in his pocket. He stared at his new home. It was beautiful, really; it was painted a gentle saffron color with a dark brown roof. It had a veranda going all the way around and a small porch swing on the right side. He shut the car door and looked around. All the houses' yards were separated by a chain-link fence. The yards were a fair size; definitely enough room for kids to play in.

_"That's probably what this town is about,"_ Syrus thought. _"Settling down, having kids, and going to church."_

A small clash of thunder made him look up at the sky. A second later, a single rain drop fell on his nose, quickly followed by others, becoming a complete down pour. A deep glare appeared on his face as he quickly opened the back door to his car and grabbed his two suitcases and duffle bag. He quickly ran to his to his house and up the four steps. Once under the veranda, he put his stuff down and took out his keys, looking for the right key. When he found it, he unlocked the door and carried his stuff inside.

He sighed, dropping his stuff at the door and leaving it there. He flipped the lights on before he walked over to the couch, he had bought the place fully furnished, and laid down. He shut his eyes, thinking. Furniture was all set up, he had all his stuff…what was he missing?

_"Groceries," _He gave another sigh. _"I am not going out in that rain…"_ He got up and walked over to his stuff. He kneeled down and began going through it all, looking for any kind of food. When he didn't find any, he groaned. _"But I am not going to starve either…"_ With an aggravated sigh, he got up and grabbed his car keys as he headed out the door.

He stood under the veranda for a moment, watching the rain. _"He loved the rain…"_ A glare appeared on his face; he shook his head, dismissing the thoughts and ran to his car. Once inside, he gave a short sigh, then started the car. He put it in reverse, backed out of his driveway, put it into drive, then drove into town. It took a bit to find the grocery store; he parked in front of it and got out of the car.

_"Shouldn't take thirty minutes…"_ he thought. He entered the store, a bell ringing above the door as he opened it. Everyone in the store, which was four people including the cashier, looked at him. He ignored their looks as he began shopping.

ùUù

Syrus put his groceries in the back of his car, a small glare on his face. _"Nosy bastards…"_ he thought, slamming the door shut. _"None of their damn business…"_ He got in his car and started it up. The rain had never stopped while he was inside; in fact, it had only gotten worse. His glare deepened; he backed out of his parking space and drove off. He was going about ten miles over the speed limit; the road was barely visible past the light of his headlights in the harsh storm.

_"Is it monsoon season or something?"_ Syrus thought, leaning closer to his windshield to see. A quick flash of lightening lit up the road momentarily; something ran into the road with inhuman speed. Syrus slammed on his breaks, squeezing his eyes shut as his car skidded on the soaked road. Whatever the thing was stopped dead in its tracks, turning to the sound of the screeching breaks.

ùUù

_How long he had been out he didn't know, but he did know he had been running for about a day now. Every inch of his body screamed in pain __with each step he took as he ran. His wounds had barely healed, even for what he was, __but he didn't care; if he could make it to the other side of the small town, he wouldn't have to worry about them anymore…and they could go on thinking he was dead._

_He growled in frustration,__ the heavy rain making it hard to see as he__ qui__ckly moved around trees, jumped over surfaced roots, and dodged low branches. Finally, a flash of lightening gave him enough light to see the road ahead, which he was on in no time. As soon as he was on the wet asphalt, he heard a __screeching sound. He turned to it and saw a car headed straight for him. His eyes widened and he couldn't move._

_The metal vehicle slammed into him, but he didn't feel any pain. He felt himself going under and tried to grab the hood of the car, but only ended up scratching it with all four of his claws as he went under the car…_

ùUù

Syrus heard scratching, like nails on a chalkboard. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, felling his car bounce once as the thing went under his front tires, then again as it went under the back tires. Finally, the car stopped; the thing about five feet away from the car. Syrus stared at it in the rear view mirror. He was trembling; slowly, he removed his shaking hands from the steering wheel and unbuckled himself.

_"Please, let it be a dog…"_ he thought as he climbed out of the car. Ignoring the pounding rain, he quickly ran over to the thing lying in the road. He stopped about a foot away from it, when he realized it was a person.

_"Shit…"_ he thought. He took a step back out of fear, but then slowly began to move closer.

"H-Hey," he said. "Are you alright?"

_"You just hit him with your car!"_ he mentally screamed at himself. _"Do you think he's okay?!"_

Before he knew it, Syrus was standing right next to the body. Swallowing hard, he kneeled down and reached for the person's shoulder. Before he could touch it, the person's eyes snapped open, glowing a light purple. Syrus gasped, pulling his hand back. The person sat up quickly, glaring at Syrus. He let out a demonic hiss, swiping at Syrus, who quickly stood up and stepped back in time. The person continued growling as he began to stand. When he reached his feet, he froze; pain shot through him. A horror-stricken look appeared on his face before it became sleepy-looking. He stumbled, then fell back to the ground on his left side, out cold. Syrus stared at him in horror; slowly he kneeled back down and turned the person onto his back. He put his ear on the person's chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. He sat up with a sigh of relief, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

He took the person's arm, putting it over his shoulders as he got to his feet, holding the person's wrist to keep his arm there. Once he was up, he put his other arm around the person's waist, holding him up. He carried the person to his car, with difficulty since the person was six inches taller than him. When he reached his car, he opened the door by letting go of the person's waist temporarily, then he laid him down in the backseat. Once he was in all the way, Syrus closed the door and got back in the car. He quickly started it up and pushed down on the accelerator. The car took off into the storm; every few seconds Syrus found himself glancing at the rear view mirror, checking on the person. It wasn't long before he noticed the leather of his seats go from navy to black. Syrus's eyes widened.

_"Shit!"_ he thought. _"Where's the hospital in this damned town?!"_ Since he didn't know where the medical center was, he decided to go to his home, which was most likely closer. He drove faster, near panicking. _"Don't bleed to death, don't bleed to death, please don't bleed to death!"_

He skidded into his driveway, parking at an angle. He quickly shut off the car, snatched his keys from the ignition, and got out of the car. He opened the door to the backseat and grabbed the person's arm, carrying like before. With a firm grip on him, he quickly walked to his house and up the steps. Letting go of his waist, he unlocked the door with this keys, then kicked the door just hard enough to make it open. He hurried inside and put the guy on his couch. He stared at him for a moment, panting slightly from the ordeal.

_"Quit gawking and get you first aid kit!"_ he, again, mentally screamed at himself. He quickly went for his stuff, which was stilly by the door, which was still open with his keys in the lock. Noticing this, he grabbed his keys and closed the door, locking it too. The last thing he needed was someone walking in and seeing a near-dead guy on his couch. He put his keys in his pocket and began digging through his stuff. _"Where is it?!"_ he mentally panicked. He began throwing his stuff out, instead of just moving it around to look. Panic rose when he couldn't find it for a while, but then…_"Got it!"_ A faint smiled appeared on his face, but it quickly disappeared. He looked back at the person; he slowly walked over to him, first aid kit in his hands. He wasn't panicking anymore and he didn't know why…

He sat the person up, taking off his black overcoat and tossing it to the side; he did the same with his purple t-shirt. Syrus gasped; the person's body was covered in deep, wide gashes; large, dark bruises, and long scrapes. _"There's no way my car did all this…"_ he thought. He shook his head, coming back to reality. He opened the first aid kit and got a bottle of rubbing alcohol, some cotton balls, and gauze. Slowly began to clean the wounds, wrapping them afterwards; sometimes the person would hiss and growl in pain; Syrus was afraid he'd wake up, but he never did.

As Syrus tended to the scrapes on his left elbow and forearm, he noticed it was broken. His eyes widened slightly; he glanced at the person before putting the bottle of alcohol and his current cotton ball down. Slowly, he took the person's wrist with one hand and held his shoulder with another. He swallowed hard, then jerked the person's arm forward by his wrist. He heard the bone pop back in place; the person let out a loud hiss of pain. Syrus dropped his wrist and backed away from the couch, afraid he had wakened. Fortunately, the person just laid back down; Syrus sighed in relief and walked back to the couch, continuing.

ùUù

_"Okay,"_ Syrus thought when he was done with the upper body. _"Now for the rest of him…"_ Hoping that the worse was over, Syrus walked to the other end of the couch. He took off the person's black boots and tossed them to the side. He looked back at the person, his eyes trailing to the button of his black jeans. He blushed a light pink; his heart pounded in his chest. He shook his head.

_"Get a hold of yourself, Truesdale!"_ he, once again, mentally shouted at himself. _"This is not the time!"_ With a determined look on his face joining the light blush, he reached for and undid the button and zipper. His eyes trailed downward bashfully, looking at his own lap, as he pulled the black jeans down and off the person. When the jeans were finally on the floor, Syrus glanced back up starting at the feet. Both ankles seemed intact; his knees were badly skinned but, other than that his legs were fine. Syrus sighed, cleaning and wrapping the skinned knees; he was thankful one of the legs weren't broken…then he'd really have had to take the guy to the hospital. When he finished with the knees, Syrus's looked up at the person's face. He was still sleeping, but with a calmer look on his face. Syrus smiled weakly at this.

He got up and gathered his guest's bloody clothes; he took them to the washroom, which was down a small hall to the left of the kitchen. After putting them to wash, he walked back into the living. He stared at the person for a moment. _"I wonder if I have any clothes that would fit him…" _Syrus thought. He walked over to his clothes, which were all over the floor, by the door. He kneeled down, folding them and sorting them a bit. He soon came across a large white t-shirt and some long gray pajama pants. Both were big for Syrus, since they hadn't originally been his. _"Bet these will fit…"_ he thought, looking back to the guy on the couch.

He stood, the two pieces of clothing in his hands. He walked back the guy, feeling a bit nervous again. This guy had been unconscious for a long time; did that mean he'd be waking soon? Not to mention, this guy didn't look too friendly when he awoke the first time after being hit by the car. Syrus swallowed hard; he shook his head to rid these thoughts. _"Why are there so many tests of character for me?"_ he wondered. _"Maybe I'm just too nice…"_

_"Well, you couldn't just leave him out there!"_ a small voice in his head shouted.

_"True…"_ Syrus agreed with a small sigh. Slowly, he began to dress his guest, not wanting to wake him up. Thankfully, Syrus had been right, the clothes did fit. He glanced at a clock on the living room wall; 1:32 am. _"Good thing I don't have a job…"_ Syrus thought. He went back to his things and grabbed a blanked from his duffle bag. He placed it over the guy then gathered his bags and clothes that were still on the floor. He gave his guest one last glance before heading upstairs to his bedroom.

ùUù

Syrus threw himself onto his bed, sighing. All his clothes had been saved up; either folded in a set of drawers or hung in the closet. Despite everything that happened, he couldn't help but admire his new room.

The walls were a sand-color; the trimmings a dark brown. He had a set of drawers that were against the left wall. His bed was in the middle of the back wall, next to a window that gave a good view of his front lawn. He had his own bathroom, which was on the right wall a few feet from the door; his closet was a few feet between his bed and bathroom.

Syrus smiled weakly from his spot on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and turned on his right side, looking out the window. He wrapped his arms around his pillow, hugging it.

"Good night…" he whispered before closing his eyes and falling into a gentle sleep.

* * *

Hey guys, just a quick side note. For all who don't know me, I'm Writer of Destiny…my fanfics aren't usually horror or Scfi or stuff like that. They're usually realistic…like high school drama or family struggles and stuff like that. It's not that I don't like the other genres, it's just that the realistic life-stories come to me a bit easier than that.

For those who do know me, you're probably wondering why I didn't write a damn thing all summer. Well, the truth is I got very depressed and had horrible writer's block that seriously would not go away. So I went out and bought a tiny little notebook, about 5" x 7", and wrote all the parings I like, skipping three or four lines for each. Then, I wrote all the plots I wanted to write for those pairings…granted some are still blank. Nonetheless, this process has helped a bit and I am slowly getting my writing abilities back. So, unlike my other stories that you have read, this one won't be updated every day like I would like to do for you. School has started and it's really hard for me this year, since it is my senior year…on the up side, I do get out after fifth period so I get more time to work on my fanfics.

All I can ask from my fans (new and old) is to be patient with me and enjoy the stories...with love and thanks, Writer of Destiny.


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